Barry Hearn on Building Empires and Beating the Odds

Barry Hearn, British sports promoter and founder of Matchroom Sport shares his remarkable journey from humble beginnings to building a £1B sports empire, redefining global entertainment and sport along the way. Barry reflects on the early influences that shaped his drive for success, from his mum’s relentless ambition for him to the lessons learned as a young chartered accountant. He discusses the pivotal moments that catapulted him into sports management, including his unexpected entry into snooker, the bold moves that disrupted the industry, and his philosophy of turning risks into opportunities. Barry opens up about the challenges of scaling Matchroom Sport, how he created global phenomena in darts, snooker, and boxing, and why his greatest asset is hard work and self-belief.